The Picture
by shadowhuntingdauntlessdemigod
Summary: Peggy only realized what she had when it was ripped from her grasp. She is alone in the world. One of the only men that ever respected her is gone. All she has left is a picture. Is she crazy for talking to it? Steggy oneshot. Set after Captain America:The First Avenger


**This is just a short oneshot I came up with after watching the newest Agent Carter episode. It's a little vague in places and doesn't follow the show exactly. Anyways, it is just means to be a small Steggy cute story thing. I hope you guys like it :) If there is anything I can improve upon to make my one shots better, please leave a review or PM me. It's greatly appreciated.**

**I don't own Marvel.**

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Once the initial wave of losing Steve had left, Phillips had her back on duty, organizing files to be put away and stored. The next file he handed her, he handed her with a heavy heart and she could see it in his eyes. Meaning only one thing.

She opened the file with shaking fingers and looked at the small man she had fallen for. He was weak, but he already had the heart of gold that she knew him for. A confused look was stricken across his face, which she found intriguing since he was always the one giving the orders. His dog tags, his identity at the time, were strung around his neck.

Peggy looked back and forth, and when confident that no one was looking, slipped the picture inside her uniform. She tied back up the file and took a deep breath before placing it in the box with the rest of the stacks of paper.

Her headache had returned, pounding endlessly on the inside of her skull, refusing to go away.

_"I'm gonna need a raincheck on that dance_."

His words echoed through her mind, the last words he would ever say, he said to her. _"I'd hate to step on your-"_ and he never even got to finish his last words. He had died, alone, aboard an enemy ship in the middle of a frozen wasteland. Thousands of miles away from her.

She could only imagine having to go like that. All alone, in a horrible explosion. Sure, she was strong, but Steve was strong in ways she would never understand. She had never realized if she had feelings for him until _after _the radio had gone static. When she had realized that she was never going to see him again.

It sent a knife into her heart. Her eyes misted over as she watched his file get covered up by yet another stack of papers.

A tear fell from her face and she quickly went to wipe it away.

"Are you alright, Agent Carter?" one of the filers asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you," she said quickly and walked off towards the bathroom to see what damage she had done to her makeup and to collect herself.

"Morning, Steve," Peggy said as she walked out of her flat at the Griffith. Months had passed since the war ended and Peggy was working as an agent for the SSR. But the term, "agent", felt more appropriate since she was the one always running around and doing the errands. She was the only woman in the office, and the men there sure as hell acted like it.

Every morning when she left, she would look at him as she put on her lipstick and would smile at him as she left. He was still there, still watching over her. She could feel, almost, as if he still respected her. Peggy smiled to herself. She got more respect from a picture than she did from many of the men at work. The world surely had gone downhill.

"You make sure to tell me if anything happens while I'm gone," she said to the picture, before placing a piece of string across the lock and shutting the door.

At work, she was finally able to showcase her skills by cracking a code and getting the Howling Commanods back together. All in a day's work.

She watched more men fall and nearly had a heart attack when a little spy girl thrust a knife into Dugan's chest. Peggy breathed a sigh of relief, however, when he pulled the knife out and smiled.

In the end, they escaped with a prisoner and a few less men. She also found some humanity inside one of the men that worked with her.

Getting back to her apartment at night was almost a blessing, being able to sit down and just unwind for a second. Two days of being out and about made her wonder how she had done it before she became a secretary.

_"Agent," _she chided herself. After a period of time, all of the men's antics had gotten inside her head. She knew she was an agent, but when no one else acted like it, it was hard to remember herself sometimes.

"Hello, Steve," she said to the empty room, looking at the picture.

But something was off. The picture had shifted. Peggy looked around the room for open windows, but the only window was closed and it was neither too hot or cold to need heat or air conditioning.

Peggy cautiously went over to the picture and moved it back where it was supposed to be. "One hell of a day. I met up with Dugan today. It was nice to see a familiar face that treated me like a soldier again," she started. "We talked about you on multiple occasions, just reminiscing about what you may have said. All in all, we got out a prisoner, but we lost a few good men. It never does get easier, does it?"

It had occurred to her on multiple occasions that she was talking to a picture, but it was better than talking to no one. Who would you rather have around the office: a crazy woman, or a sane woman that talks to pictures from time to time? That was her reasoning.

"I thought the world was messed up when you were still in it. I now see how bloody wrong I was," she said, smirking slightly. There was no doubt that someone had been in her apartment, but after a long day, she didn't feel like trying to catch anyone.

She changed into her nightgown, noticing that some of her clothes had also been moved. Someone had been looking for something. Peggy just hoped that they hadn't found it.

When she had finished changing and all of the makeup was washed off her face, Peggy slid into her bed. She stole a glance at Steve and smiled. "Good night, Captain Rogers. See you in the morning."

Her light clicked off.


End file.
